Golf club head cover marking device



Dec. 27, 1966 J. G. PAWLY 3,294,138

GOLF CLUB HEAD COVER MARKING DEVICE Filed July 17, 1964 I NVENTOR.

Jam 52 mg BY 3,294,138 GOLF CLUB HEAD COVER MARKING DEVICE John G.Pawiy, Deiavan, Wis., assignor to A. J. Industries Corporation, Delavan,Wis., a corporation of Wisconsin Filed July 17, 1964, Ser. No. 383,376 2Claims. (Cl. 150-52) The invention relates to golfing accessories, andmore particularly to a golf club head cover marking device.

It is an object of the present invention to provide golf club head covermarking devices for identification of golf clubs.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide golf clubhead cover marking devices which are removably secured to golf club headcovers and may be readily transferred from one golf club head cover toanother.

It is another object of the present invention to provide durable,lightweight, and inexpensive golf head cover marking devices that arefabricated so that the club identifying indicia thereon can be readilychanged.

An additional object of the present invention is to provide golf clubhead cover marking devices that provide means for securing a series ofhead covers together.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from thefollowing detailed description and the drawing forming a part thereof,in which:

FIGURE 1 is a front elevational view of a typical golf club head coverhaving an apertured head cover tie string receiving tab providedthereon;

FIGURE 2 is a side elevational view of a marking device constructed inaccordance with the present invention, which marking device isparticularly suited for use with golf club head covers of the typedepicted in FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a front elevational view of the marking device shown inFIGURE 2; and

FIGURE 4 illustrates a pair of joined head covers adapted with themarking devices shown in FIGURES 2 and 3.

Turning now to the drawings, there is shown therein a golf head covermarking device in accordance with the invention, comprising generally adisk-shaped portion 20 having a number indicia thereon, and an elongatestem-shaped apertured projection 24 which is adapted to fasten within anaperturein the type of golf club head cover shown in FIGURE 1, therebyproviding identification of the golf club and means for stringing anumber of head covers together.

FIGURE 1 shows the type of golf club head cover 14 to which the deviceof the invention is particularly adapted to be secured. It will be notedthat this golf club head cover 14 has a relatively thin tab 32 at thetop thereof of leather, plastic, or other suitable material. The tab 32has fastened to it by riveting or the like a thin eyelet 12 of metal,plastic, or other suitable material providing a central hole or opening34. Preferably the eyelet 12 is of substantially rigid construction sothat its hole 34- maintains a substantially constant diameter. This typeof golf club head cover 14 is in widespread use. It is designed so thata cord 16 may be threaded through each eyelet 12 of a number of the headcovers 14, securing all of the head covers together. Thereby any onegolf club head cover may be removed from its golf club and yet beretained by the cord 16, thus easily replaced on its proper golf club.The marking device of the invention makes use of the existingconstruction in the head covers 14 in a novel manner by fastening thedevice through the eyelet 12.

Referring in detail to the specific embodiment of the device shown inFIGURES 2 and 3, the device 10 is preferably constructed as an integral,generally buttonshaped body 18, preferably of plastic or other suitablematerial. The body 18 preferably includes an enlarged disk-shapedportion 20 having a plane surface 22 on one side thereof. Around theedge of the plane surface 22 there may be provided an annular ridge 23.'Centered on the disk portion 20 opposite from the plane surface 22,extending at right angles from the disk portion, is the elongate sternprojection 24. The projection 24 preferably has an extended andgenerally cylindrical shaped configuration and is integral to the diskportion 20. An annular ring 26 is provided in the form of a protrusionor extended ridge around the projection 24, concentric with thelongitudinal axis of the projection 24. This annular ring 26 ispreferably spaced from the disc portion 20 but in close proximitythereto.

The projection 24 on the body 18 is further provided with a hole 28 inthe form of an elongate slot transversely extending in depth completelythrough the projection 24, providing a passageway therethrough. TheWidth of the hole 28 is, of course, less than the diameter of theprojection 24. However the length of the hole 28 (Le, its dimensionalong the longitudinal axis of the projection 24) preferably encompassesthe principal portion of the entire projection 24. Thus the length ofthe hole 28 may be greater than the diameter of the projection 24.

A large readily visable number indicia 30 is shown on the plane surface22 in FIGURE 3. This number indicia 30 is preferably a thin sheet 31 ofplastic, paper, or other suitable material having a number printedthereon, which sheet of material 31 is preferably removably fastened tothe plane surface 22 by a coating of pressure-sensitive adhesive orother suitable means. The golfer is preferably supplied, for example,with a thin sheet of adhesive backed material having numbers thereon,the sheet being partially scored around the numbers so that round disksof approximately the same size as the surface 22 may be readily removedfrom the sheet and pressed against the surface 22. However the numberindicia 30 may also be provided on the surface 22 in a permanent form;as by hot pressing, printing, or painting a number directly onto theplastic surface, or by other suitable means.

To provide for the securing of the device 10 within the eyelet 12, theprojection 24 on the body 18 preferably has a diameter slightly lessthan the diameter of the hole 34 through the eyelet. Thus, most of theprojection 24 is adapted to pass freely through the eyelet 12. However,the annular ring 26 preferably has an outside diameter slightly greaterthan the diameter of the hole 34. The application of sufficient pressureto the body 18 allows the projection 24 to be forced further into theeyelet 12 so that the annular ring 26 may be pressed or snapped throughthe eyelet 12. The somewhat flexible nature of plastic materials as wellas the hole 28 (which preferably is long enough to extend through theportion of the projection 24 upon which the annular ring 26 is formed)provides the slight compressibility needed to accomplish this fastening.In the fastened position, the device 10 is securely butremovablyretained within the eyelet 12 by the annular ring 26 abutting one sideof the eyelet 12 and the enlarged disk portion 20 abutting the otherside of the eyelet.

When the device 10 is in the fastened position, secured through theeyelet 12, the principal portion of the projection 24 is fully exposedon the far side of the eyelet 12. Thus the hole 28 through thisprojection is also generally exposed and on the far side of the eyelet.The hole 28 is therefore available to provide the function previouslyprovided by the hole 34 in retaining the cord 16, even though the hole34 is now fully occupied by the projection 24.-

The operation and employment of the marking device 10 is simple andrapid, which is one of the chief advantages provided by the invention.Upon the selection of the golf club head cover 14 to be used with aparticular club, the person then either selects the prenumbered devicewhose number corresponds to that of the club or selects the appropriatedecal or other number indicia and attaches this number indicia to thesurface 22 of an unmarked device, as described previously, fitting itinside the ridge 23.

The device 10 is easily inserted into the eyelet 12. As described above,the principal portion of the projection 24 is adapted to slide easilyinto the hole 34 in the eyelet 12. Then a slight force may be applied tothe disk portion to force the annular ring 26 through the eyelet, so asto removably but tightly secure the device 10 Within the eyelet.

If it is desired to connect the golf club head covers together by meansof the cord 16, this cord is simply threaded through the hole 28 of eachof the devices 10, as shown in FIGURE 4, once the devices are in place.

Forces applied by the cord 16 to the projection 24 will tend to pull thedisk portion 20 against the eyelet. The disk portion being preferablylarger than the eyelet 12 cannot be pulled through the hole 34, and thusthe head cover 14 is securely fastened to the cord 16.

The number upon any of the devices 10 may be changed (so as to allow theclub carried Within the particular head cover 14 to be changed withoutunstringing the series of head covers) simply by substituting orsuperimposing a new number indicia.

In view of the foregoing disclosures, it is clear that there has beenprovided herein a novel marking device for golf club head covers havingimproved convenience and simple and rugged construction, which is highlyflexible in operation and allows the rapid adaption of golf club headcovers to different golf clubs. Further it is clear that there has beenprovided a golf club head cover marking device which provides aconvenient means for fastening a series of gold club head coverstogether.

It is contemplated that numerous further variations and modificationswithin the purview of those skilled in the art may be made herein, andit is intended to cover in the appended claims all such variations andmodifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. In combination with a golf club head cover having a tab with aneyelet thereon, said eyelet having a hole therethrough extending throughsaid tab, a golf club head cover marking device which comprises: adisk-shaped member substantially larger than said eyelet having a numberindicia thereon; an integral elongate stem projecting from saiddisk-shaped member, said stem having a maximum diameter slightly lessthan the diameter of said hole in said eyelet and having an elongatehole transversely through the principal portion thereof adapted toreceive a head cover tie string; an integral resilient annularprotrusion formed on said stem in spaced relation to said disk-shapedmember, said protrusion having a maximum diameter greater than thediameter of said hole in said eyelet; said stem extending through saidhole in said eyelet so that said annular protrusion thereon and theprincipal portion of said elongate hole therethrough are on oppositesides of said tab from said disk-shaped member, whereby said markingdevice can be removably secured to said golf club head cover and theselective individual identification and joining of a plurality of headcovers are readily effected.

2. In combination with a golf club head cover having a tab with anaperture through said tab, a removable golf club head cover markingdevice which comprises:

a generally planar disk-shaped member substantially larger than saideyelet and adapted to receive a removable adhesive indicia labelthereon;

an elongated stem projecting perpendicularly from the plane of saiddisk-shaped member, said stem being removably insertable through saidaperture;

integral retaining means on said stem spaced from said disk-shapedmember for retaining said stem in said aperture with a substantialportion of said stem projecting from the opposite side of said tab fromsaid disk-shaped member.

said projecting portion of said stem having a hole transverselytherethrough being adapted to receive a head cover tie string,

whereby said marking device can be removably secured to said golf clubhead cover and the selective individual identification and joining of aplurality of head covers readily effected.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,679,928 6/1954Bishop 206-56 3,051,210 8/1962 Mesinger 52 3,133,577 5/1964 Bellevue15052 3,145,749 8/1964 Rosenow 15052 FRANKLIN T. GARRETT, PrimaryExaminer.

1. IN COMBINATION WITH A GOLF CLUB HEAD COVER HAVING A TAB WITH ANEYELET THEREON, SAID EYELET HAVING A HOLE THERETHROUGH EXTENDING THROUGHSAID TAB, A GOLF CLUB HEAD COVER MARKING DEVICE WHICH COMPRISING: ADISK-SHAPED MEMBER SUBSTANTIALLY LARGER THAN SAID EYELET HAVING A NUMBERINDICIA THEREON; AN INTEGRAL ELONGATE STEM PROJECTING FROM SAIDDISK-SHAPED MEMBER, SAID STEM HAVING A MAXIMUM DIAMETER SLIGHTLY LESSTHAN THE DIAMETER OF SAID HOLE IN SAID EYELET AND HAVING AN ELONGATEDHOLE TRANSVERSELY THROUGH THE PRINCIPAL PORTION THEREOF ADAPTED TORECEIVE A HEAD COVER TIE STRING; AN INTEGRAL RESILIENT ANNULARPROTRUSION FORMED ON SAID STEM IN SPACED RELATION TO SAID DISK-SHAPEDMEMBER, SAID PROTRUSION HAVING A MAXIMUM DIAMETER GREATER THAN THEDIAMETER OF SAID HOLE IN SAID EYELET; SAID STEM EXTENDING THROUGH SAIDHOLE IN SAID EYELET SO THAT SAID ANNULAR PROTRUSION THEREON AND THEPRINCIPAL PORTION OF SAID ELONGATE HOLE THERETHROUGH ARE ON OPPOSITESIDES OF SAID TAB FROM SAID DISK-SHAPED MEMBER, WHEREBY SAID MARKINGDEVICE CAN BE REMOVABLE SECURED TO SAID GOLF CLUB HEAD COVER AND THESELECTIVE INDIVIDUAL IDENTIFICATION AND JOINING OF A PLURALITY OF HEADCOVERS ARE READILY EFFECTED.